[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 45 (Friday, March 21, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E414-E415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA ON THE OCCASION OF THE 
             CITY'S 60TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF INCORPORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 21, 2014

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize the City of Lakewood, CA and ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating its residents on the city's 60th Anniversary of 
Incorporation. I am proud to represent this prospering city--aptly 
characterized by its motto, ``Times Change, Values Don't''--as part of 
the 38th Congressional District of California.
  The City of Lakewood incorporated in 1954, and was the largest 
planned community in America in the early 1950s. Lakewood was designed 
to be a livable residential community, with parkways along major 
roadways to protect children from traffic, a regional shopping center 
in the middle of the town, and convenient neighborhood shopping places 
at major intersections.
  The City of Lakewood has been known for its careful fiscal management 
and prudent budgeting. In 1954, the City began to utilize innovative 
partnerships in contracting for city services. Lakewood's ``contract 
plan'' for local government was soon copied in a wave of incorporation 
movements in Los Angeles County, and later throughout the state. Today, 
Lakewood is known as a ``contract city'' and currently contracts for a 
broad range of services from the County, other agencies, and private 
firms; including law enforcement, street repairs, fire protections, 
library services, trash collection and others. This allows the city to 
provide more efficient and cost-effective services to its residents.
  Prioritizing the best interests of its residents, in 2013 Lakewood 
was able to complete a 12-year street repaving program in which 100% of 
the city's 143 miles of residential streets were resurfaced with long-
lasting rubberized asphalt. The 100 percent completed program--almost 
unheard of among cities--earned a ``Project of the Year'' award from 
the American Public Works Association.
  The City of Lakewood thrives on customer service and strives to 
ensure all resident requests are responded to in a timely manner. In 
addition, Lakewood takes pride in the fact that city staff has deep 
roots in the community; many employees were raised here and continue to 
live in the city. The average employee has worked for the city for many 
years, maintaining a valuable level of experience and loyalty to the 
residents of Lakewood.
  A top quality recreation service for residents of all ages is a core 
Lakewood value. In the 1950s, to deal with the surge of young children 
needing play opportunities after school, the city developed the 
Lakewood Youth Sports (LYS) program staffed by an army of volunteer 
coaches. LYS and its volunteer coaches provided the supervised play 
activities that the new families of Lakewood needed. LYS continues to 
be a key way that Lakewood residents work with their city government to 
give their children great recreational opportunities. In 2013, for the 
fourth year in a row, Lakewood was named ``Playful City USA'' by the 
national recreation advocacy group KaBoom! in recognition of the city's 
top quality parks, playgrounds, and programs to encourage youth and 
family play.
  The City of Lakewood was recently considered one of the safest 
communities in the region, and has seen many innovations and notable 
achievements in public safety over the years. In the 1980s, Lakewood 
developed one of the largest Neighborhood Watch programs in California. 
The city continues to have a prospering program with currently over 400 
block captains. Lakewood residents have a tradition of volunteering to 
help their community and their neighbors in need. Lakewood is the home 
of many charitable efforts that support a caring community and enhance 
the

[[Page E415]]

quality of life. Prominent efforts include Project Shepherd, Volunteer 
Day, Meals on Wheels, Pathways Volunteer Hospice, Friends of the 
Lakewood Libraries, Lakewood Education Foundation and many more.
  The city will be celebrating their 60th anniversary of Incorporation 
with an open house that will include galleries of historic photos from 
city archives, portraits of original 1954 homeowners, and other 
photographs submitted by residents. As the city celebrates this 
occasion, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the city and residents of Lakewood as they celebrate the 
past and focus on a prosperous future.

                          ____________________